tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68971232424345260602017-07-29T04:21:02.041-05:00InfopostRosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-49385352468192970052015-05-21T20:55:00.000-05:002015-05-21T21:44:44.043-05:00Links<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1) <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NSA_SURVEILLANCE?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2015-05-20-18-54-45">"SENATORS OFFER COMPROMISE ON DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE CHANGES"</a><br /><br />2) <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102694868">"40 percent of unemployed have quit looking for jobs"</a><br /><br />3)&nbsp;<a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/student-sues-college-after-gun-rights-sign-needed-special-permission/">"Student Sues College After Gun Rights Sign Needed ‘Special Permission’"</a><br /><br />4) <a href="http://www.brainprotips.com/infection-inflicts-a-persistent-decrease-in-iq-a-danish-study-with-180000-participants/">"Infection inflicts a persistent decrease in IQ: a danish study with 180,000 participants"</a></div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-37337285752523380562015-05-20T22:58:00.001-05:002015-05-20T23:00:35.721-05:00Links<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">&nbsp;1) <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102691525">"Scientists cure disorders in mice by resetting their brains"</a><br /><br />&nbsp;2) <a href="http://www.infowars.com/thug-tells-whites-bow-down-to-blacks-youre-all-gonna-die/">Shocking video filmed in New York</a></div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-63283148044477011342014-04-25T21:08:00.000-05:002015-01-17T20:11:19.103-06:00Pick a career compatible with your personality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ttk4C7B-A5w/U1sT13CoE8I/AAAAAAAAAMc/2Kv1Vy-j-Ws/s1600/1532097_730220885008_1114464850_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ttk4C7B-A5w/U1sT13CoE8I/AAAAAAAAAMc/2Kv1Vy-j-Ws/s1600/1532097_730220885008_1114464850_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>You really can’t do much to change your personality. It’s more or less fixed upon adulthood and will likely remain largely unchanged throughout your life unless you’re affected by head injuries, medications or other substances, or, gasp, old age. Like many other characteristics it’s the result of both genes and environment.<br /><br />Since personality is quite stable it’s important to pick a career that’s congruent with it. This may seem like common sense, but I’ve seen a lot of people take on jobs which are largely incompatible with their nature. If there’s a mismatch you’ll constantly feel like you’re swimming upstream, putting on an act, and always feel “on.” Essentially, you’ll feel stressed out and unhappy.<br /><br />There’s of course no single job that will perfectly fit your personality at all times, but, rather, even in a compatible position, you’ll end up altering it to some degree throughout your work day. The question is how much, to what extent, and your degree of comfort with this.<br /><br />In general temporary and subtle personality adjustments are tolerable and may even feel effortless. These changes often happen automatically without conscious thought. For a moment, think of someone who’s generally outgoing and loud. This person could likely comfortably act subdued while spending a some time browsing in the library. And he probably wouldn’t even give it much if any thought. However, if he became a librarian, it would be far more difficult and his personality adjustment will not be sustainable. He will likely not be able to conform to the library’s cultural norms, so, he will probably end up quitting or be fired after being loud on too many occasions because it was simply too hard to keep the guard up, masking his true self. The bridge between his and the required personality is simply too wide.<br /><br />Some people’s personality is such that they are comfortable making frequent short-term personality changes. A lot of these people tend to do well in sales. Salespeople tend to be relatively comfortable “mirroring” prospective customers, for example. This involves mimicking characteristics of the individual they’re communicating with, which in turn can build rapport between individuals since people tend to trust others they perceive as being similar to themselves. But even these people have a core personality, of course, and this trait is merely one component, and they too benefit from carefully gauging their degree of comfort with the frequency and extent of any personality adjustments. <br /><br />###<br /><br />The photo was taken with my cell phone this past winter. I saw the deer alongside a road.&nbsp;</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-53255512467082931972014-03-06T19:41:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.158-06:00Exercise, obesity, brain health <div class="tr_bq">From the <i>New York Times</i>:&nbsp;</div><blockquote><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/how-fat-may-harm-the-brain-and-how-exercise-may-help/?_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_r=0">How Fat May Hurt the Brain, and How Exercise May Help&nbsp;</a></blockquote><blockquote>By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote>Obesity may have harmful effects on the brain, and exercise may counteract many of those negative effects, according to sophisticated new neurological experiments with mice, even when the animals do not lose much weight. While it’s impossible to know if human brains respond in precisely the same way to fat and physical activity, the findings offer one more reason to get out and exercise.</blockquote><blockquote>It’s been known for some time that obesity can alter cognition in animals. Past experiments with lab rodents, for instance, have shown that obese animals display poor memory and learning skills compared to their normal-weight peers. They don’t recognize familiar objects or recall the location of the exit in mazes that they’ve negotiated multiple times.</blockquote>&nbsp;One more article to reinforce what we already know. It's important to make time for exercise if we want to have a healthy mind and body.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-25030570517722138032014-02-26T15:30:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.172-06:00Fluoride can carry health risks<div class="MsoNormal">Most Americans aren't aware that there's controversy over whether or not fluoride should be added to the public water supply; it rarely gets discussed in the mainstream media. Most first world countries no longer add the substance. In Western Europe this figure is well over 90%. This contrasts America where approximately <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/statistics/2010stats.htm">73.9% of Americans are “served” fluoridated water.</a>&nbsp;Compared to other states, a high proportion of Minnesota residents, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/statistics/2010stats.htm">approximately 98.8%</a>, are provided fluoridated water. &nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Proponents of adding fluoride say it fights tooth decay and is safe.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/basics/">According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:</a>&nbsp;</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">Water fluoridation prevents tooth decay mainly by providing teeth with frequent contact with low levels of fluoride throughout each day and throughout life. Even today, with other available sources of fluoride, studies show that water fluoridation reduces tooth decay by about 25 percent over a person's lifetime.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Community water fluoridation is not only safe and effective, but it is also cost-saving and the least expensive way to deliver the benefits of fluoride to all residents of a community. For larger communities of more than 20,000 people, it costs about 50 cents per person to fluoridate the water. It is also cost-effective because every $1 invested in this preventive measure yields approximately $38 savings in dental treatment costs.</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">It's pretty much undisputed that fluoride can help prevent tooth decay but there’s mounting evidence that fluoride can cause some serious harm including depressing children's IQ. From the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/">Harvard School of Public Health:&nbsp;</a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are known to cause neurotoxicity in adults, and negative impacts on memory and learning have been reported in rodent studies, but little is known about the substance’s impact on children’s neurodevelopment. In a meta-analysis, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and China Medical University in Shenyang for the first time combined 27 studies and found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children. Based on the findings, the authors say that this risk should not be ignored, and that more research on fluoride’s impact on the developing brain is warranted.</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">It seems obvious that the risks of water fluoridation outweigh any benefits and that the practice should be discontinued immediately. &nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://fluoridealert.org/content/top_ten/">There's a number of ways people can avoid consuming fluoridated water.</a> Purchasing an appropriate water filter appears to be the most practical.&nbsp;</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-38425387293700372512014-02-13T19:59:00.000-06:002014-02-13T20:07:52.304-06:00Swiss voters approve immigration referendum<div>Swiss voters approved a very moderate and sensible referendum to curtail continued mass immigration. The mainstream media is behaving as if <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-10/will-the-swiss-turn-against-immigration-force-out-expat-executives">the sky is falling</a>.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">Switzerland is introducing what could be one of the most dangerous experiments in the history of immigration reform.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Swiss voters approved a plan in referendum on Sunday that will set new limits on the number of foreigners who can settle and work in their country. Details haven’t been worked out yet, but strict curbs would be catastrophic for major Swiss industries such as pharmaceuticals, where 45 percent of employees—mainly skilled professionals—come from outside the country.</blockquote><div><br /></div><div>If there is a shortage of labor in Switzerland in a particular industry, such as pharmaceuticals—and there is not a genuine shortage, by the way, despite big businesses pleas for cheap labor—this simply means that businesses should raise their wages to attract the talent that already exists in the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>The referendum barely passed despite strong lobbying from the high echelons of business, government, and the prestige press. It’s quite amazing to see the stark divide between the voters and most of the people who run things. Switzerland is a packed country. The last thing the typical citizen wants is more congestion, environmental degradation, depressed wages, cultural conflict, and strains on welfare programs.</div>Adminnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-41558611620315843202014-02-13T19:11:00.000-06:002014-02-13T20:07:40.027-06:00Comcast wants to purchase Time Warner Cable<a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-comcast-time-warner-tweets-20140213,0,5981723.story#axzz2tFiG1W8D">Many people are taking to Twitter to air their complaints about Comcast’s desire to purchase Time Warner Cable.</a><br /><br />I have a negative Comcast customer service story. I've long had my own cable modem yet Comcast was convinced that I was renting one of theirs, so, I had incorrect charges associated with my account. After talking to customer service representatives for hours over the course of a year or so, they seem to have finally realized that I am not renting one of their modems and have removed those incorrect charges.Adminnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-5065426508158749142014-02-12T20:00:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.251-06:00Leg strength strength reduction, age, and exercise in active older adults <a href="http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2014/02000/Leg_Strength_Declines_With_Advancing_Age_Despite.25.aspx">Leg Strength Declines With Advancing Age Despite Habitual Endurance Exercise in Active Older Adults</a><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Abstract: Marcell, TJ, Hawkins, SA, and Wiswell, RA. Leg strength declines with advancing age despite habitual endurance exercise in active older adults. J Strength Cond Res 28(2): 504–513, 2014—Age-associated loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) and strength (dynapenia) is associated with a loss of independence that contributes to falls, fractures, and nursing home admissions, whereas regular physical activity has been suggested to offset these losses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of habitual endurance exercise on muscle mass and strength in active older adults. A longitudinal analysis of muscle strength (≈4.8 years apart) was performed on 59 men (age at start of study: 58.6 ± 7.3 years) and 35 women (56.9 ± 8.2 years) who used endurance running as their primary mode of exercise. There were no changes in fat-free mass although body fat increased minimally (1.0–1.5%). Training volume (km·wk−1, d·wk−1) decreased in both the men and women. There was a significant loss of both isometric knee extension (≈5% per year) and knee flexion (≈3.6% per year) strength in both the men and women. However, there was no significant change in either isokinetic concentric or eccentric torque of the knee extensors. Our data demonstrated a significant decline in isometric knee extensor and knee flexor strength although there were no changes in body mass in this group of very active older men and women. <b>Our data support newer exercise guidelines for older Americans suggesting resistance training be an integral component of a fitness program and that running alone was not sufficient to prevent the loss in muscle strength (dynapenia) with aging. </b>[Emphasis added]</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"></blockquote>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-31316764085943466262014-01-31T17:58:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.264-06:00Mutual funds vs. index funds<div class="MsoNormal">I wrote this in 2007.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">***</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Many people don’t want to spend the time, or don’t have the interest, to follow a variety of individual stocks in their portfolio. So what are some choices? Both stock based mutual funds along with stock based index funds have been very popular options for people who fit that profile. I’d like to cast some light on each of those types and point out some key tidbits that every investor should be aware of. Also, I hope that by the time you are finished reading this, most of you will come to the conclusion that index funds make a lot of sense for the savvy investor. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Mutual Funds</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m not a big fan of them but I still think everybody should be at least aware of them. They are actively managed funds that contain money from a variety of investors, spread out over many companies, just like index funds. Sometimes people feel more comfortable with the fact that a mutual fund offers professional management. &nbsp;Of course, nothing is free and this professional management carries with it an expense ratio which is higher than what you would typically find with an index fund. The average typically hovers around 1.5% or so, and, over time, this can really take a big bite out of your earnings. You’ll have to decide if this is this is the price you want to pay for active management.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Index Funds</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Index funds operate in much the same way as mutual funds in the sense that there are many companies that are owned within a single fund. In contrast to mutual funds, however, index funds simply mirror a particular index. The nice thing about index funds is that they have historically outperformed mutual funds, all without the added management fees. Again, inactive management can translate into more money in your pocket!&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I chose to go with a total stock market index fund, which allowed me to allocate my investments amongst the entire U.S. stock market (3,500 stocks). It has an average yearly return of 10.77% (as of 8/31/’07) since its inception in ’92. (In the long term, the S &amp; P (Standard and Poor’s) 500 index has appreciated at approximately 10 percent). People sometimes ask me if I get stressed out when it does down and the answer is not really. In fact, I usually think I should buy more in to it. If you can weather the downs the chances are that you will be up in the end. Another nice thing I like about this index is because I can usually just turn on the TV and instantly see how’s it’s performing. Why? Because it’s a mirror of the market as a whole and commentators on TV talk about the market in general terms all the time. I’ll touch upon this below when I get into the r-squared.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Analyzing the Risk</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You’ve probably heard the terms large (blue chip), medium, and small cap. Each term corresponds to the size of the company (for instance large-cap funds contain huge companies). Large cap companies are generally thought to be a more stable investment than small cap, with the medium cap in between. If you’re a conservative investor, or are closer to retirement, large-cap funds are generally the best bet as they are more stable. On the flip side many younger investors like to pursue riskier (smaller cap) investments because the potential for payoff is greater, along with the available timeline for recovery. It all depends on your personal objectives and circumstances.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are three primary stock styles to be aware of: value, blend, and growth. Growth stocks, simply put, are anticipated to have a strong growth rate. Of course, the flipside of growth stocks is that they are more shaky, and could therefore more likely to plunge in value. Value stocks are generally thought to be ‘bargains.’ They are bought when their price is at a low point, hoping that their price goes up. Blend stocks are simply a blend of growth and value stocks. Check the historical rates of return for the particular fund you are interested in. They are often reflected in 1, 3, 5, and 10-year intervals, in addition to performance since inception.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When you are looking at particular fund’s risk there are two terms that you may run across, specifically, the “r-squared,” and the “beta.” The r-squared is a range from 0-1, which corresponds to how closely it matches the market as a whole or a particular market index (1 being a perfect match). The beta compares changes in a fund’s share price to changes in the overall market/index. For example, if the market that is being used in comparison increased by 8% (so it then has a beta of 1.00), and the beta of the fund that you are checking out is 1.10, your fund is 10% more volatile than that particular market. A beta higher than 1.00 has the potential for greater payoff but at the same time is riskier. Because the beta is tied to market variations, when a fund’s r-squared is low, the beta figure becomes less important. As you could have probably guessed, both the r-squared and beta of a broad-based index fund will be 1 or close to it.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Money Saving Tips</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You may run across some funds which have a purchase fee or a redemption fee. I think these terms are pretty self-explanatory. There are many funds out there that do not charge these fees so it is a good idea to avoid them!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Try to look for a fund which does not have a 12b-1 fee. This nondescript name (taken from the Investment Company Act of 1940) is supposed to cover the advertising costs of the fund. &nbsp;It is taken right out of the fund’s assets. This fee often hovers around .25-.75%, depending upon whether or not it is a load-based fund. (Note any fund with a 12b-1 fee over .25% is a load fund.)&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a rule of thumb avoid investing in an index fund with an expense ratio (these are operating costs taken from your fund) of more than .21%. If you are paying more than that you are cheating yourself (shop around). Again, mutual funds have higher expense ratios and usually don’t beat the market. &nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Go electronic. Since it costs investment management companies a lot of money to print out documents, they have created incentives to encourage their customers to select “e-delivery” or “e-service.” By receiving fund reports, confirmations, statements, and so forth through e-mail in formats such as pdf’s, you can often reduce fees. I saved a yearly charge of $20 because when I started my balance was under $10k, and balances below $10k were subject to that fee, unless the investor chose e-delivery. Regardless of what you decide, it is pretty easy to change your preferences online or by calling your investment management company’s customer service number.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There may be some other fees that are particular to IRA’s, ect., and they typically vary from investment company to investment company. Make sure you analyze the fee schedule closely so there are no surprises. If you have any questions, companies typically have a customer service number on their Web site and you can talk with a representative who can fill you in.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Choosing an Investment Company</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are so many different companies out there--it’s difficult for many investors to know where to begin. It’s a good idea to go with a well-established company with a sound reputation. Here’s some that are worth taking a look at: Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, Scottrade, Ameriprise, Merrill Lynch, T. Rowe Price, Charles Schwab, and the list goes on.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To me, customer service is a very important. I want to be able to call in and have a knowledgeable person answer the phone quickly. Find out what’s important to you and do a little research. I’ve found that many trade financial magazines and journals seemed to be tied up in conflicts on interests (advertising contracts, ect.). Because of this, I tend to read blogs and ask friends and acquaintances what their experiences have been like with particular companies before making any decisions regarding who I’ll end up choosing.</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-89432728401954749182014-01-30T17:47:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.318-06:00A look at multitasking To a certain degree we all multitask as we go about our daily lives, whether it’s in school, work, leisure, or other activities. It seems that over the last five years or so an increasing amount of attention has been paid to the topic of multitasking, with most being rather critical of it. Multitasking does indeed have its drawbacks if it’s engaged in unnecessarily, which is all too often the case. However, it’s not always bad and it has advantages when done appropriately. <br /><br />The ability and propensity to multitask is hardwired into our brains. Take for example physical action and talking. In the past small groups of people who could successfully vocally communicate while hunting were certainly more successful than those who could not. Multitasking’s advantages certainly extend to today’s world too; listening to music while exercising comes to mind.<br /><br />For a moment imagine you have a steady stream of water coming out of a garden hose that you are using to water a tree. After watering you move on to watering a patch of grass but this time you use a sprayer which causes the water to sprinkle over a wide area. You have access to a limited stream of water and you are allocating it in an effective way to accomplish your job. But let’s say you decide you want to water a very large patch of grass. So, you adjust the sprayer to its max spread setting and some water is spread out but eventually it malfunctions and less is released.<br /><br />Just as you had a limited bandwidth of water in the above illustration you have a limited bandwidth when it comes to thinking, memory, and focus, all of which are intertwined to a certain extent but aren't always used proportionally. For example, you would likely use a greater proportion of your focus bandwidth relative to your thinking bandwidth if you were to engage in a routine project of soldering tiny wires compared to studying for an exam which would relatively tax a high amount of your memorization bandwidth.<br /><br />Certain tasks lend themselves more to multitasking than others as they tap smaller portions of your respective bandwidths. For instance you’ll likely have no problem with simple and repetitive tasks like the earlier example of listening to music while exercising. This contrasts working on tasks that when combined require high amounts of your bandwidths. Studying while the television is on will probably cause you to be spread too thin and lead to a malfunction of sorts, resulting in reduced productivity.<br /><br />Many organizations have a culture which promotes multitasking. It’s not always a top-down phenomenon though. Employees often take pride in it. When the worker shows he’s multitasking he intends to signal he’s getting a lot done, putting forth a great deal of effort, and that he has little to no downtime. One common problem though is that this can lead to the misallocation of time as there can be a shift to a less important task. For instance have you ever worked to prepare a document that taps heavily into your thinking and focus reserves and at the same time you are lured into checking emails that pour in your inbox every 20 minutes or so? These emails may have dominated your time and not only that, when you finally switched back over to work on your document it was probably more difficult to reach a state of deep focus where you were your zone, so to speak, because such a state is typically achieved after sustained focus and thought. And it is in this stage where many are at their most insightful and productive.<br /><br />Ultimately our multitasking habits are dependent on our training and self-talk. For most people, these habits are ingrained to the point where they are almost like muscle memory, that is, they’re done automatically with little to no thought. It is our duty to challenge these mindsets, to analyze our situations and work patterns so that we can consciously determine if multitasking is the best course of action.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-82875752385142388052014-01-20T11:28:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.331-06:00High-intensity interval training<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training">High-intensity interval training</a>&nbsp;yields substantial <a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-11-vigorous-workouts-buck.html#inlRlv">benefits</a>:<br /><div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq">A one hour high-intensity workout provides the same fitness benefits as 50 hours of walking, a major Flinders University study has found.<br /><br />And an hour of high-intensity exercise – defined as exercise which pushes your heart rate up to 75 per cent of its maximum capacity or more – results in the same amount of fat loss as two hours of moderate-intensity exercise.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The study, led by Flinders health sciences lecturer Dr Lynda Norton with researchers from the University of South Australia, measured the health benefits gained from every minute of vigorous activity compared to the same time spent in moderate-intensity exercise.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">They assessed the affects on four disease risk factors; body fat and weight, cholesterol, hip and waist girth, and aerobic fitness.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">More than 620 adults completed the six-week exercise program, with participants divided into two groups and asked to perform either a one hour high-intensity workout, such as circuit training, boxing or step classes, three times a week or 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking, seven days a week.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">While the moderate-intensity exercisers still gained some health benefits compared to 135 adults who did not participate in the program, Dr Norton said significantly greater benefits were achieved by the high-intensity exercise group.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Most physical activity guidelines recommend a 30 minute daily walk but we found that it would take 50 hours of walking to achieve the same aerobic fitness that you could get from just one hour of high-intensity or vigorous activity," Dr Norton, based in Social Health Sciences, said.</blockquote><div>For the past year or so I've gotten in the habit of doing high-intensity training. With the low time commitment and a high payoff it's hard to come up with excuses not to.</div></div></div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-73340325366179017492014-01-01T10:58:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.397-06:00Daily aging Most people go day-to-day without spending much if any time thinking about the aging process. It’s not exactly a fun topic to think about, but there are certain situations in life that put it front and center. For example, have you ever seen someone, perhaps a friend or family member, for the first time in over six months or so, and you are taken back by the fact that she looks noticeably older? The next thing that likely comes into your mind is that you, too, probably look somewhat older. Being polite, no one says anything. I've been in that sort of situation a number of times. My guess is you have too. <br /><br />Each of us has a time-lapse type image of ourselves that’s embedded in our memory. Over the course of a year it moves along slowly because we see ourselves hundreds of times and therefore we have a lot of images to process. On top of that our focus is skewed toward recent images which are fresher in our memory. So when a year passes we usually aren't able to notice much of an outwardly change in ourselves, nor are others who see you often. Aging for many remains cloaked. <br /><br />In contrast when we see others after many months or years it’s almost as if we see fast-moving time-lapse photography. The big middle portion of what would be a mental sequence of images is missing, and instead we see a limited number separated by sizable gaps in time. This brings about a jarring realization, the unpleasant fact that, for healthy people post-prime (unhealthy people can often improve), each passing day brings with it a slight physical deterioration, and a little bit of life.<br /><br />I think that it’s important to think about daily aging, at least once in a while. It makes it easier to savor experiences. It can help with motivation and time management. &nbsp;Ultimately, it can help you put your life in perspective.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-67152522790940579922013-12-28T20:09:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.411-06:00Morning rushing versus pacing<div class="MsoNormal">A lot of people experience this situation: They wake up in the morning, start working and at some point say to themselves that they will leave a little bit later than usual. They know that they need to get to work on time, that it typically takes, for example, roughly 25 minutes to get to work in the morning, but instead of leaving 25 to 30 minutes before work starts they figure they’ll leave 15 to 20 minutes before hand to get more done during the start of the day. Other times people stay up later than usual to get more done in the evening so they sleep in and leave later.<br /><br />Does morning rushing ever make up for a little added productivity in the morning or evening? Rarely. People typically feel pressured to speed, drive through yellow lights about to change, roll through stop signs, etc., all in an attempt to make up for lost time. This rush strategy typically results in stress and other negative emotions which carry on throughout the day, resulting in decreased feelings of well-being and reduced overall daily productivity. So dangerous driving aside, even if they do not get pulled over it is still not worth it to be in a morning rush situation.<br /><br />The alternative to the morning rush is morning pacing. This requires a different mindset. People thinking this way are planners and take a holistic approach to their day. They know when to say no to certain tasks, and by giving themselves an appropriate morning drive time cushion they are more relaxed, happier, and more productive overall.</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-66115085404121915042013-12-27T22:48:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.457-06:00Do people have to be self-employed to achieve self-actualization?<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">People are on their way to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-actualization">self-actualization</a> when they work to reach their full potential. However, no one ever reaches their full potential since that suggests that no further improvements can be made and things can always be improved upon. So, I like to think of self-actualization in terms of a continuum rather than a destination which suggests some sort of impossible personal perfection. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What self-actualization actually looks like will of course vary from person to person because it is linked to unique characteristics such as one’s abilities, interests, and personality. So to address the title of this post, no, a person does not necessarily have to be self-employed to reach self-actualization. Although I believe many require it and others would be more self-actualized if they were self-employed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are some common characteristics of self-actualizers. Abraham Maslow believed they are growth-oriented and tend to have a high degree of independence. They’re often found in creative fields and feel free to pursue their creative passions without disruptive constraint. So let’s compare working for organizations versus self-employment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">People who work for an organization have to deal with politics and are often at the beck and call of their bosses. Some have creative leeway, but far more often they are expected to complete some sort of narrow task which is often repetitive. Many are frequently worried about losing their jobs. All considered, it’s more difficult to be self-actualized working for others but it’s not impossible, again, because self-actualization is a stage or state that is linked to individual characteristics. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From my vantage point it appears that, when considering jobs that involve being employed by an organization, some are more suited for self-actualization than others. Tenured professors come to mind. In contrast to factory workers, for example, they have job security, relatively low task repetition, significant freedom in setting their work hours, and can generally pursue their intellectual interests. But even they have to report to administration, teach at certain times, feel pressures publish, and might feel compelled to focus on areas they may be tired of, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Independent entrepreneurs, writers, film makers, musicians, and artists tend to have more freedom and control. A lot of these fields also allow a great deal of creativity. And it is apparent that a lot of people aspire to be in and are happiest in these sorts of fields because many move into them when they “retire” from other work upon reaching a certain degree of financial independence. The reason why more people are not in these fields is because they tend to not pay very well since many are willing to do the work for little pay or even for free.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-42223797663660629122013-12-26T13:55:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.471-06:00Advice and conflicts of interest<div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We all take advice of some sort or another, and it’s often critical to our decision making. It’s typically and especially sought out prior to making important decisions, and therefore it’s important to recognize and analyze what might be influencing the advice you’re receiving before you assign a value to it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ask yourself, does the person you are obtaining advice from have a conflict of interest of one sort or another? Are they truly unbiased? The most common conflict of interest in financial, so try to figure out the source of the person’s livelihood. In other cases advice is clouded by fear. It’s not uncommon for multiple factors to be at work.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let’s say you are considering going to law school, and you estimate that its debt and lost wages will cost you about $200,000. There are other jobs outside of law that you would equally like but at this time you are shopping for opinions to see if law school makes sense from a cost benefit perspective. Let’s say that you are enrolled in an undergraduate business law course. You decide to ask your business law professor’s thoughts on the issue because he is a convenient source. It would not be surprising if the professor said that law school is an excellent idea, and that your job and earning prospects will be great! He may go on to suggest that you go to the university’s affiliated law school. In giving that advice he would obviously not tell you is that the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/the-jobs-crisis-at-our-best-law-schools-is-much-much-worse-than-you-think/274795/">job market for many law graduates is abysmal.</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the above example the professor’s conflict of interest is both financial and fear-based. He may be thinking, “What if I lose my professor job and can’t pay my student loans? How will I support myself?” It’s important to keep in mind that particularly the untenured professor (the majority) is first and foremost looking out for his own career and financial stability. If the word got out that the professor spoke negatively about graduate law education, especially the university’s affiliated school, he may get a warning from the department chair or people within the university’s administration. Advancement and tenure may come in to jeopardy. Department colleagues may ostracize him. Perhaps his department will be downsized if he pushes students away from law, or there may be other negative outcomes which could influence his advice.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you can see people with conflicts of interest are susceptible to steering you in directions which are against your best interest. Ask yourself the right questions before hand and you’ll be in a better position to weed out and avoid poor advice.&nbsp;</span></div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-12665092831403066642013-12-24T12:35:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.529-06:00Create to-do lists<div>Do you have a daily to-do list? I have experimented with not using one and using one. I've found that I don’t get nearly as much done during the day when I do not have one, so, I've gradually gotten in the habit of creating one on a daily basis, typically in the evening because by that time I know what’s been done during the current day.</div><div><br /></div><div>There’s been a lot written about the best way to organize one. I've found that it’s not so much the way it’s organized that’s important but rather the fact that one has been created. Probably 90% of the benefit comes from having one and 10% comes from how you choose to organize it. Once you get in the habit of using one you will eventually find a style that works best for your cognitive style.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I create a to-do list I simply write down all the tasks that I plan on completing the following day starting with the tasks that I am prioritizing. I’ll cross-reference it will my calendar which has items which were planned more in advance. I transfer items from the calendar to the to-do list, and number tasks according to their importance. Often I’ll list the time of day I want to start or complete them, creating a goals. I found that this promotes focus and motivation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes I’ll draw lines linking tasks that are associated with one another in some way. For example, if one “task” is meeting up with a friend at 6 pm and another is to get a present at a nearby store, I’ll draw a line linking the two. If I didn't consciously link two associated tasks I would find myself backtracking once in a while. For instance I might go home after meeting up with a friend and realize later that I should have gone to the store while in the area.</div><div><br /></div><div>In sum I think a to-do list will help make you a more productive and organized person. And there’s also the satisfaction of looking at checked off tasks throughout the day which can motivate you onwards.</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897123242434526060.post-84563557075405257662013-12-22T07:09:00.000-06:002015-01-17T20:11:19.541-06:00Creating an external motivator<div>Many people struggle to motivate themselves and stay on task. If you spend a great deal of time sitting in front of a computer, you may find yourself easily distracted from what you know you should be working on. Some of the more common distractions include excessive web surfing and email checking. If you are a blogger that allows comments, perhaps you spend too much time checking for them. Actions such as these can bring people in another world of sorts and it’s easy to lose one’s sense of time and before you know it, minutes or hours are gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Having an external reminder of some sort can be helpful. You could have on a wall next to your work space a piece of paper that says something along the lines of “get things done,” “do the work,” “work on the list,” or something along those lines. It’s important that the wording is bold, in your line of sight, short, and direct. In place of or in addition to having a motivator on the wall you could have one of those slogans written on the image set as your background on your computer monitor and/or phone. I really think this is a great idea. One obvious benefit to this that the motivator is portable.</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06846930130216514451noreply@blogger.com0